How Google Benefits from Android, and You Can Too

Have you ever wondered why Google has put so much time, money and promotional effort into Android, the smart phone operating system that they give away for free?

Unlike Apple with its iPhone, Google doesn’t sell smart phone hardware, though they will, once their Motorola purchase closes. There is no way they can profit directly from the sale of Android-powered phones. So what’s all the fuss about?

The fuss has to do with the unique relationship we humans have with our smart phones. We love them. We interact with them constantly, texting, surfing, mailing, playing, paying, watching, listening and, occasionally, calling. When we’re not slobbering all over them we’re sure to always keep them close at hand – even when we’re asleep.

From a marketer’s perspective there has never been a medium like the smart phone to communicate your messages through.

Google wants you to have an Android phone so that you will connect all of your Google contacts, Gmail, Google+ friends and any other Google solution you use regularly. Once all of those connections have been made in your most treasured possession, Google has you right where they want you. They also now know where you are and a little bit about what you’re up to.

Combined with what they know about your search and surfing history, they are better able to deliver just the ads and offers you are most likely to respond to. That means more money for them and their advertisers.

So how does all this relate to you and your business? In short you need to follow Google’s lead and get on the mobile bandwagon.

The Mobile Marketplace
Your target market is on mobile. Some day in the next 3-6 months more Internet traffic will travel over mobile networks than over tethered ones. I could quote stat after stat about the rise of the mobile marketplace but just take my word for it: if you’re not accessible via mobile today you’re falling behind and if you’re still not there tomorrow you will be invisible.

Mobile offers you opportunities to connect and communicate with your target market in ways that have never been available before. You need to start learning all about it and creating promotional messages for your company that can easily be accessed and consumed via mobile.

For starters, there is over a 90% chance that your web site looks like crap on a smart phone. You need to get that fixed. Now.

Beyond that, having a mobile-optimized video brochure for your company is an absolute home run. It’s the equivalent of a 2:00 television commercial delivered directly to the nose of only the people most likely to buy from you, which they can watch whenever and as often as they like – and forward seamlessly to as many friends as they want.

SMS Marketing
Perhaps the stealth missile of the Mobile Marketplace is SMS or Text Message Marketing. Incentivizing prospects to text a keyword (like FREEFOOD) to a shortcode (like 72727) allows you to gather their telephone numbers, segment them into special interest groups, and then send them infrequent, short promotional messages related to that special interest going forward. I will devote an entire article to this concept soon but let me give you a couple of quick stats to support the power of this medium. Average broadcast email open rates are less than 20% over the course of 7-10 days. Average text open rates exceed 90% and generally occur in less than 30 minutes.

Why do you think American Idol has been using this technique for over 10 years?

Let me return to the bottom line: You need to get on the Mobile Marketing bandwagon sooner rather than later. Start learning and getting comfortable with the whole concept now so you’ll be prepared to act as soon as possible.

Give us a call at 703-348-7390 with any questions on how to implement a Mobile Marketing strategy for your company.

Frank Felker's 40+ years of entrepreneurial experience have run the gamut from home-based and storefront businesses through nationwide seminar production and international newsletter publishing, to the founding of a tech start-up where he raised over $3 million in seed and early stage venture capital.

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